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Why Dates are The BEST Natural Sweetener
Based on HealthHub Singapore, the recommended sugar consumption should not exceed 10% of our daily energy intake. For many, cutting down sugar intake can be no easy feat, especially as it’s often added to processed food products and desserts.
According to Dr Greger, dates are one of the healthiest sweeteners on Earth!
Apart from being a good source of energy, it is high in fibre for healthy digestion and packed with health-protective antioxidants which may protect our heart and brain.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN DATES?
Did you know? There are dates that have added sugars.
So do watch out for artificially sweetened dates! They will taste overly sweet or taste sweet on the outside of the fruit. If the outside of a date is sweet or sticky, it has likely been dipped in a glaze.
This is not naturally occurring.
The caramel flavour should stay within the fruit and not on the exterior.
Dates & our colon health
Our gut contains about 10,000 billion micro-organisms and is considered the most metabolically active site in our human body. Incredibly crucial for our overall health!
The health status of our gastrointestinal system is generally determined by the levels and types of bacteria found in our digestive tract. Taking good care of it means feeding our gut with probiotics, such as dietary fibre and polyphenols, a class of antioxidant phytonutrients. All found in high levels provided by dates.
The cancer of the colon (large intestine) and the rectum is known as Colorectal cancer. In Singapore, colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer for each of both genders, making it the most common when combined.
It's considered to be Singapore’s top killer with almost 2000 cases each year.
The risk of getting colorectal cancer during one’s lifetime is 5.6%, about 1 in 20 persons. It is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental causes, for which we have total control over the latter based on the type of lifestyle we lead.
Though colorectal cancer is linked to factors such as high alcohol consumption and smoking, our dietary intake accounts for about 90% of lifestyle causes. This means that if we pay more attention to what we eat, we can lower such risks from occurring! Incorporating more higher fibre wholefoods like dates into our diet would be one of the many methods.
dates and bone health
Dates can also aid in improving our Bone Health. A study published in the Journal of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition states that minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium found in dried fruits promote bone strengthening and prevent debilitating diseases such as osteoporosis.
Another study also showed that women who consumed dates prior were more likely to go into labour naturally and had significantly less labour time than those who did not. For mothers, you may want to note down this hack!
This superfruit has the potential to promote late-term labour, reduce labour time and even encourage cervical dilation. It’s a wonder the number of health benefits packed within this fascinating fruit.
Our Healthy Sweet Secret
You’ve found your safe haven here at The Clean Addicts. Without the use of any refined sugar, our clean treats like our Flourless Fudge Cakes, Protein Balls and Wholefood Mooncakes are naturally sweetened solely using dates.
With less than 15g of sugar per serving of cake, and 2g of sugar per 1/6th of our Wholefood Mooncakes. It's just the right amount of sweetness with additional health benefits without the dreaded sugar crash we experience usually with desserts!
Balancing indulgence with real foods is what we do best to help you enjoy desserts and feel good after!
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2021, August 28). Rectal Cancer. Retrieved from Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21733-rectal-cancer
Edgar G. Dawson, M. (2015, July 28). Types of Osteoporosis: Primary or Secondary. Retrieved from spine universe: https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/osteoporosis/types-osteoporosis-primary-or-secondary
FACLM, M. G. (2019, February 6). Benefit of Dates for Colon Health. Retrieved from NutritionFacts.org: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefit-of-dates-for-colon-health/
Foodtolive Team. (2021, June 24). Medjool Dates vs Noor Deglet Dates . Retrieved from Healthyblog: https://foodtolive.com/healthy-blog/medjool-dates-vs-noor-deglet-dates/
HealthHub. (2022). Sweet Talk: Sugars and Sweeteners. Retrieved from HealthHub: https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/77/sweet-talk-sugars-and-sweeteners Meenakshi
Nagdeve, R. L. (2021, May 26). 12 Proven Health Benefits Of Dates. Retrieved from Organic Facts: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-dates.html
National University Hospital. (2022). Colorectal Cancer. Retrieved from National University Hospital: https://www.nuh.com.sg/Health-Information/Diseases-Conditions/Pages/Colorectal-Cancer.aspx#:~:text=In%20Singapore%2C%20the%20risk%20of,there%20is%20chance%20for%20cure
National University Hospital. (2022). Colorectal Cancer. Retrieved from National University Hospital: https://www.nuh.com.sg/Health-Information/Diseases-Conditions/Pages/Colorectal-Cancer.aspx#:~:text=In%20Singapore%2C%20the%20risk%20of,there%20is%20chance%20for%20cure